Is Audigy 2 worth buying right now ??

[Soulkeeper]

is the audigy 2 pci oem for 71 bucks worth it for a 4 speaker 1 subwoofer sound system ??
or should i be happy with my onboard i875 sound and realtek codec ??



is creative releasing new cards soon ??
i heard somewhere they were

also when do you think nvidia sound cards will hit shelvs and how much do you think they will cost ??





thanks

 

[ViRGE]

The Audigy 2ZS is out right now, but it's almost exactly like the Audigy 2, so there's no reason to get the ZS if you're getting a good deal on the 2. Even an original Audigy would be fine as far as base features go(EAX, a high SnR, etc), and those can be had for under $50. Either way, you should definately get one; the on-board sound on an i875P is going to be mediocre at best.

 

[ArcticChill]

If u want 24-bit crisp sound from your speakers, i suggest yes, otherwise i would only buy the Audigy 2 if i had wanted 6.1.

 

[ViRGE]

To get 24bit sound, you need a 24bit sound source; and unless he's listening to DVD-Audio(not to be confused with the audio from a DVD movie), it's likely he'll ever come accross a source like that.

PS As for the Nvidia cards(I didn't notice that the first time around), no one knows

 

[Brian48]

Yeah, I think most people don't even have any 24bit sound files to test with, let alone run. You can always resample your 16bit sound sources to 24bit during playback with the A2, but I don't really see a point to it since the original source is only 16bit. On the other hand, if you do like DVD-Audio, the A2 is well worth it. I've a few titles (Faith Hill's Cry is my latest) and they sound absolutely incredible with the A2 at 24/96.

 

[fkloster]

my sound on my 875 is so crappy..... I'm really thinkin' hard about a ZS audigy 2...

 

[slackerinabox]

The Realtek sound on your onboard sound SUCKS... If you're gaming get an audigy2, if you're not then a $30 soundcard (sb live, etc.) should be better than the realtek

 

[Darien]

I just bought one of these.



Probably the best sound card under $100 if your primary concerns are music/dvds.



/me is eagerly awaiting for it to come to my doorstep.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: Darien
I just bought one of these.



Probably the best sound card under $100 if your primary concerns are music/dvds.



/me is eagerly awaiting for it to come to my doorstep.

movies are for a home theater setup

fah

Audigy 2 is for gaming, and gaming is what a pc is for

 

[Dug]

and gaming is what a pc is for

Unless you run a high end htpc, then movies, hdtv, pvr, music, and games is what a pc is for.

 

[Soulkeeper]

yeah i just have a basic 4.1 sound system right now but i might upgrade later to a top of the line speaker system
I do play lots of games

also i have an sb Live! but i would like to put it in another system


what improvements does this new audigy2 ZS have over the original audigy2 ??


thanks all so far

 

[RagingGuardian]

I recently got an A2 when the Best Buy $55 deal was going and am I happy that I did. The A2 is leaps and bound my onboard soundstorm. No more having to deal with choppy sound in games and the positional sound on the Audigy is something to hear. Just my opinion so Soundstorm lovers please don't flame

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
what improvements does this new audigy2 ZS have over the original audigy2 ??

New and improved cost. Oh, and it also adds "official" 7.1 support, and DTS decoding.

 

[Soulkeeper]

cool i'll get one of those when i decide to spend the money and upgrade from my i875 onboard sound
that's a nice card

 

[Soulkeeper]

What is dts decoding ??
Also, What do you think about this speaker system ??

 

[Redviffer]

I still find that my regular old SBLive! 5.1's does the trick for me, no problems with any games, and about $35.

 

[ScrewFace]

I have an Audigy 2 and, I must say, the sound quality is amazing especially in newer games. And for the 2 most anticipated games (Doom3 and Half-life2) you're gonna want an Audigy2 for sure because it supports EAX3 which these games are gonna use. The original Live! Value supported EAX1, the Audigy supports EAX1 and 2 and, of course, the Audigy2 supports EAX1-3.:beer:

 

[PliotronX]

Originally posted by: ScrewFace
I have an Audigy 2 and, I must say, the sound quality is amazing especially in newer games. And for the 2 most anticipated games (Doom3 and Half-life2) you're gonna want an Audigy2 for sure because it supports EAX3 which these games are gonna use. The original Live! Value supported EAX1, the Audigy supports EAX1 and 2 and, of course, the Audigy2 supports EAX1-3.:beer:

Sounds good, except the original Audigy does support EAX Advanced HD (i.e. version3) just as the A2, but CL says EAX4 will be supported in all pre-ZS Audigy cards in the next driver release

 

[GreatDaleness]

Originally posted by: PliotronX

Originally posted by: ScrewFace
I have an Audigy 2 and, I must say, the sound quality is amazing especially in newer games. And for the 2 most anticipated games (Doom3 and Half-life2) you're gonna want an Audigy2 for sure because it supports EAX3 which these games are gonna use. The original Live! Value supported EAX1, the Audigy supports EAX1 and 2 and, of course, the Audigy2 supports EAX1-3.:beer:

Sounds good, except the original Audigy does support EAX Advanced HD (i.e. version3) just as the A2, but CL says EAX4 will be supported in all pre-ZS Audigy cards in the next driver release

Being an audigy 2 owner, I am happy to hear that there will be support for EAX 4. Any word on what makes EAX 4 better than EAX 3?

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
What is dts decoding ??

DTS is an audio encoding technique for DVD movies, just like DolbyDigital, but at a slightly higher quality. As I understand it, most current DVD software players do DTS decoding anyhow, so it's not a very major feature.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
To get 24bit sound, you need a 24bit sound source; and unless he's listening to DVD-Audio(not to be confused with the audio from a DVD movie), it's likely he'll ever come accross a source like that.

PS As for the Nvidia cards(I didn't notice that the first time around), no one knows

The audio in DVD movies can be played in 24 bit sound, I've done it.

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
what improvements does this new audigy2 ZS have over the original audigy2 ??

New and improved cost.

Actually, the new and improved MSRP is lower by 20% but since the A2ZS is only retail at the mo', the A2 OEM can still be had for 10% less (unless you can do better with a blowout deal like Best Buy had), so we can't complain too much over a few software upgrades and marginally improved SNR. If you really want the most bang for the rupee pick up an Audigy or LS or ES for $40.

As far as DTS, it is not necessarily higher quality than DD but can be. For instance, DD defines one compression standard for 5.1 but DTS several. That's why a common DTS-only DVD movie will sound better than a DD, but if it is a dual-format disc then the DTS has been compromised to fit.

 

[lordtyranus2]

With AMD, I wouldn't bother with any PCI card, and instead upgrade my motherboard for the Soundstorm. Soundstorm sounds great, the upgrade from even the cheapest AMD mobos is only $50, and you also get a lot of other mobo benefits. Not to mention save a PCI slot.

 

[ronnn]

I went from realtek sound on a p4p800 to an audigy 2 and the difference with monsoon mh505 5.1 speakers was huge. I thought very good investment.

 

[PliotronX]

Originally posted by: GreatDaleness

Originally posted by: PliotronX

Originally posted by: ScrewFace
I have an Audigy 2 and, I must say, the sound quality is amazing especially in newer games. And for the 2 most anticipated games (Doom3 and Half-life2) you're gonna want an Audigy2 for sure because it supports EAX3 which these games are gonna use. The original Live! Value supported EAX1, the Audigy supports EAX1 and 2 and, of course, the Audigy2 supports EAX1-3.:beer:

Sounds good, except the original Audigy does support EAX Advanced HD (i.e. version3) just as the A2, but CL says EAX4 will be supported in all pre-ZS Audigy cards in the next driver release

Being an audigy 2 owner, I am happy to hear that there will be support for EAX 4. Any word on what makes EAX 4 better than EAX 3?

At this point, all I can say is that it's a higher version number and therefore newer... of course all one can get out of Creative is that it's "more exciting" and "dramatically better" but that's marketing talking. Might have to wait a bit for the real goods to get published.